Ecological Conservation Academy

LOCATION

Berlin, Germany

TYPOLOGY

Education / Sustainable

STATUS

Design competition entry

DATE

2017

ABOUT

Archasm School Without Classrooms Competition Entry

Collaboration with Lauren Peterson

People as gardeners. One of the most basic and fundamental roles of mankind, but unfortunately one that is often forgotten. As caretakers of the earth and the resources therein, we are in need of redemption. The focus of this school – in theory, program, and design – is to focus the education of future generations on ecology and conservation.

In the Ecological Conservation Academy, formal classrooms are eliminated. Open floor plans allow education to happen organically and specifically for each group, individual, or topic. Unique applications of sustainable practices are incorporated throughout the enclosure of the tower – the building acts as both a sustainable machine and an educational resource.

Rooting the base are planters and agriculture, which engage and connect the Academy with the entirety of the Freizeitgelande Tempelhofer Field. Here, students tend to plants and crops, working in the dirt as gardeners. Water collection and filtration happens in the middle tier of the tower. Bird habitats are incorporated towards the top of the tower, along with air purification.

This proposal reaches beyond the site of the school to integrate the entire Freizeitgelande Tempelhofer Field into the educational mission of the Academy. Through doing so, this open space is repurposed for community use. Portions of the old airport are maintained and improved for public entertainment, recreation, and gardening – functions that are informally served currently. The majority of the open green space is converted to a forest preserve for both public enjoyment and educational use.